Introduction to Medical Neutrality

November 2013

When armed forces bomb hospitals, attack ambulances, and target healthcare providers, the effect on the sick and injured is devastating. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) promotes medical neutrality – the principle of noninterference with medical services in times of armed conflict and civil unrest. When medical neutrality is violated, PHR documents the deliberate targeting of health care systems and personnel and advocates accountability for violators. This fact sheet provides an overview of medical neutrality, the ethics and laws behind it, and PHR’s reporting on when it’s violated.